•• SANTA Volume 3 CLARITA •••• TECHNICAL PROPOSAL ~•• END PHASE I SAN FERNANDO VAN NUYS CALTRANS PRIVATIZATION PROJECT LAX TO PALMDALE TRANSIT LOS ANGELES ·············----~ TF 1460 .L39 1990 BEGIN PHASE I v.3 PERINI/DMJM/HSST ./ I I Office of Privatization August 1, 1990 California Department of Transportation Page 2 I Sacramento, California I The Perini/DMJM consortium, one of those originally qualified by Caltrans to submit project proposals, has subsequently added HSST as a key member. Bank of America and Lockheed Air Terminal are additional supporting members of the project team. Perini will I provide overall project management and will perform the construction work. DMJM will perform the design and engineering for the project. HSST will supply the maglev system elements. Bank of America serves as a financial advisor to the project, and Lockheed Air I Terminal is the designated entity to operate the system. The consortium of Perini/DMJM/HSST is excited about the privatization program in general and about this proposed project in particular. We feel that this project has the I potential to provide substantial benefits to the southern California area, and we look forward to working with Caltrans to make the proposal a reality. I Sincerely, I Thomas E. Dailey I President I en hall I I I I President I I I I ---·- -- - I (') 0z () m I "'C -1 JJ m "'C I 0 JJ -1 I I I I CONCEPT REPORT I I I I I I I I I I I I I I CONCEPT REPORT A. INTRODUCTION I 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION I The project that Perini/DMJM/HSST is proposing consists of a transit system using state-of-the-art magnetic levitation (maglev), ultimately connecting Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with the proposed Palmdale Regional (or possibly I International) Airport. The project will be staged in two phases, with Phase I initially being built between LAX and the Santa Clarita area. The alignment will generally follow within the I freeway rights-of-way of the San Diego Freeway (1-405), the Golden State Freeway (1-5), and the Antelope Valley Freeway (Route 14), with a length of about 31 miles. I . The project's southerly terminus is proposed in the vicinity of LAX's Parking Lot C, where the Norwalk-EI Segundo Light Rail (Green Line) will interface with LAX's Transportation Center. Currently, an LAX multimodal study is investigating a series I of alternatives, including a people-mover system that would connect the Lot C Transportation Center with the roadway loop in the center of the airport (World Way). The possibility of extending the proposed maglev system into the airport I terminal will also be investigated. The northerly terminus of Phase I is proposed in the Santa Clarita ·area at the I intersection of the Antelope Valley Freeway and San Fernando Road, Route 126. Within Phase I, there are proposed stations and/or transportation centers at some freeway-to-freeway interchanges, at some major street interchanges, and at transit connections such as the Metro Rail system (Red Line) and the Norwalk-EI Segundo I Light Rail System (Green Line). The transportation function of Phase I is to serve as a feeder to LAX and its nearby I employment centers and to the regional rapid transit system now under develop­ ment. The system will also relieve automobile traffic, diverting riders and vehicles off the crowded freeway corridors in the service area. It will interface with local bus I and van services, providing the maximum possible range of opportunity for travel­ ers to utilize on their journeys. Stations will be provided with automobile parking and with bus, van, and automobile drop-off facilities. I Phase II of the project will extend from the Santa Clarita area to the proposed Palmdale Airport, a distance of about 38 miles. I The alignment will be located within the Antelope Valley Freeway until reaching Palmdale, where it will veer east until reaching its terminus at the future Palmdale Airport. Proposed at this terminus is a major transportation center, which will also I provide an interface with the high-speed train connecting Las Vegas with southern California. I I I I I SANTA I CLARITA I Santa I Clarita END PHASE I I ·~ SAN li< ~- FERNANDO I Chatsworth I ,;; ~ ~~~ ."' 1;1' jl ~ VAN NUYS I l·ll I I I I LOS ANGELES .................~ I Wilshire I I Jefferson , BEGIN PHASE I '>to I ~ I I I The transportation function of Phase II includes that of Phase I but incorporates the I additional features of an expanded service area, linkage of the LAX and Palmdale airport facilities, and linkage to the proposed high-speed train to Las Vegas. Current planning of this high-speed train includes terminating in Anaheim but with I consideration of a spur line running to Palmdale, provided there is a complemen­ tary connection from Palmdale to the Los Angeles Basin. The Perini/DMJM/HSST project provides this connection. I Phase I and Phase II will allow the existing transportation infrastructure in the service area to accommodate a substantially greater volume of travelers, with minimal impact on its surroundings. The project allows for the projected greater I future travel volumes to occur, while keeping the increased person flows generally isolated from the neighboring communities. I 2. PROPOSED TRANSIT SYSTEM A maglev system, considered by many people in the public transportation field as the technology of the future, is proposed for this project. Perini/DMJM chose the I HSST maglev technology for this project because of its advantages: • Capability of high speed I • Comfortable ride • Free of air and noise pollution and vibration I • Aesthetically attractive • Economical, energy-efficient operation I • Reliable • Safe • Proven record (licensed by Japanese government for revenue operation) I • Low construction cost. The HSST maglev vehicle is propelled by a linear motor along a track over which it I magnetically floats. As there is no rail-wheel contact between the vehicle and guideway, the problems of noise and vibration associated with conventional rail systems are essentially eliminated. Due to the system's simplicity and the vehicle's light weight, a comparatively light track structure is required. It also occupies only I a small amount of physical land space, standing on slender, easily constructed columns. This facilitates implementation in the available space, with minimal land I encroachment problems, and also reduces the problems of visual obtrusion. The "no-friction, no-moving parts" features of the HSST maglev allow it to operate on only a fraction of the power required by wheeled systems. Using electric power, I it contributes to substantial reductions in automobile pollutants. The HSST maglev vehicle straddles and surrounds the guideway structure, elimi­ I nating the possibility of derailment or toppling. A central automated control system controls vehicle operations at a level of safety higher than that possible with human operators and ensures that collisions are a I virtual impossibility. I I I The automated control, coupled with the high-performance capabilities of maglev I technology, allows the system proposed here to operate efficiently at a high fre­ quency of service and at high average speeds. The intended speeds of the maglev vehicles for this project are generally in the range of 80 to 100 mph between sta­ I tions, with speeds in excess of 100 mph where there is sufficient distance for accel­ eration and deceleration. Average travel speed, including station stops, is in excess of 60 mph. The resulting service level is substantially superior to that achieved by conventional transit technology. Considering the state of southern California's free­ I ways and arterials, the system will also be substantially superior to automobile travel. I 3. PROJECT ALTERNATIVES The principal objective underlying the project is to link LAX and Palmdale with an improved-capacity, improved-service mode of transportation, while simultaneously I serving as an integral link in the growing Los Angeles area rapid transit system. The primary alternative choices were project vs. no-build. The alternative of not building the proposed project could result in worsening of congestion on the free­ I way corridors within the route as traffic volume continues to grow over the next several decades. Implementation of the project can serve to alleviate this condition by providing substantial additional person transport capacity. Thus, the decision I was made to proceed with the project proposal. Within the project alternative, there are four categories of subalternatives to be I considered: alignment, mode, technology, and construction. • Alignment - The corridor linking LAX with Palmdale is generally well defined, consisting of the 1-405, 1-5, and Route 14 Freeway rights-of-way. These freeways I provide the space necessary for the project and, under AB 680, also provide available right-of-way. Significant alternatives were not considered feasible. I Minor alternatives included the exact placement of the alignment within the freeway right-of-way. Once the technology and construction alternatives had been considered and decided on, the alignment alternatives were further refined. The resulting conclusion was to place the system in the center medians I of the freeways to the maximum extent possible. Through the Sepulveda Pass on Route 405, some straightening was necessary to reduce curvature and increase speeds. This resulted in two alignment alternatives: one staying I entirely within the Caltrans right-of-way and one making use of some adjacent City-owned land. No decision on this has yet been reached. At the intersection of the San Diego and Marina Freeways, the proposed alter­ I native leaves the Caltrans right-of-way and proceeds south along Sepulveda Boulevard toward LAX. At about Manchester Avenue, the alignment veers slightly eastward and runs behind the stores along Sepulveda.